Ever since Srixon fully committed to hard goods in the North American market with the introduction of the original Z-Series irons—which included the now legendary Z745’s—it has continued to push the design and engineering limits of their forged irons. With the new ZX Series, featuring the all-new ZX7, ZX5, and ZX Utility, Srixon is doing it again, promising improved feel, speed, and forgiveness.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums. 

The Srixon iron story

When you’ve created a winning formula for irons—or a pizza recipe for that matter—you don’t mess with a good thing. You simply refine it by analyzing your strengths and making them stronger, and that is exactly what the team at Srixon has done.

Although most golfers are only familiar with Srixon irons starting with the Z-45 series, the company has a long history of producing some of the best performing forged irons on the market dating back to the I series in the early 2000s, which included the 302, 506, and the i-701, which was offered in a standard and tour model (featured above).

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums. 

It was around this time when one of the most obvious design features of Srixon irons started to take a front seat: the Tour V.T Sole. Golfers, and more specifically, fitters, took notice of its performance through the turf.

It has gone through some changes and tweaks over the years resulting in softer lines and smoother edges but the new ZX Series is returning Srixon irons to its roots with a move aggressively angular VT sole, including the well-defined heel and toe notches for improved turf interaction.

This was driven from the consumer level and from players at the highest level on the PGA Tour since the Z745 was so well-loved and stuck around in players’ bags for a very long time (Srixon Z745 modern cult classic?)

“While the new ZX Irons are gorgeous to look down at, it’s the technology inside that’s even more exciting. Hotter faces designed using AI optimization delivers more speed. Meanwhile, varying grooves throughout the iron set give golfers consistent distance control, and forged construction helps them feel incredible at impact.” – Jeff Brunski, Director of Research & Development

Srixon ZX7 irons

This iron is the “meat and potatoes” of the new ZX series and will appeal to any golfer who puts a premium on shotmaking.

The ZX7’s provide a compact squared-off blade profile with a thin topline to frame the ball and inspire confidence for those who prefer workability over maximum forgiveness.

But don’t think the ZX7’s haven’t been designed with some forgiveness in mind—they have what Srixon calls “tour cavity” construction to place mass where it’s needed for feel and acoustics while removing it from other places around the cavity to increase stability in the small forged cavity back. We always have to remember, a clubhead’s mass is essentially fixed based on club specs, so engineers only have so much they can do so they have to get creative.

On the subject of mass concentration, the other piece of technology, which Srixon is using to maximize performance, is tungsten in the toe of the mid and long irons to condense more mass towards the toe for extra stability without having to extend the blade length. Using tungsten isn’t new, but when the goal is to minimize size while maximizing stability, it’s a complete necessity at this point, and Srixon does a great job utilizing it in the irons.

The last part of the “offering greater control” puzzle is progressive grooves through the set. The 8-iron through pitching wedge grooves are sharper, narrower, and deeper to channel moisture and debris away more efficiently at slower speeds to generate more spin and shot-stopping control on approach shots. We have seen this before on wedges, but not on irons from Srixon.

It is small details like the variable grooves that demonstrate just how far engineers are willing to go to give golfers every advantage they can with their players cavity irons.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums. 

Srixon ZX5 irons

This is where things get interesting and start moving quickly—and by moving quickly, I’m talking ball speed and computing power!

The Srixon ZX5 has a newly optimized face that has been in the works since the previous Z585 was released. The new MainFrame face has been optimized for every club through the set based on tested strike patterns and was refined using machine learning AKA AI. It is composed of varying thickness patterns, which are all individually milled into each face (made up of grooves and cavities) to expand the COR.

ZX5 irons meld this MainFrame face made of strong and elastic SUP10 steel to the iron’s forged 1020 body to provide feel and elasticity, resulting in ball speed in an iron that appeals to a large group of golfers—and wide appeal is at the heart of the “5” iron line.

Like with any modern “family” of clubs, the new ZX Series gives golfers the opportunity to get the exact performance they want through their set thanks to the designers cleverly allowing models to bend into each other. This is where the ZX5 is the start of the show.

They offer an extremely clean look from address and the topline profile matches closely to the ZX7—square and sharp! Not only that, but the blade lengths and sole widths have all been finely tuned so golfers that do plan to combo will see a smooth transition from one iron to the next and even into the new utility.

Srixon ZX Utility

The ZX Utility is the last member of the ZX line and is the perfect complement for golfers wanting extra height and ball speed from their long irons without having to resort to a hybrid club.

The ZX Utility is smaller than the previous generations and much like the ZX5 offers a more compact and blade-style look at address. Speaking of the ZX5 the construction of the utility closely resembles the iron by combining a SUP10 steel face with a full hollow-body construction using 1020 carbon steel and a tungsten weight located centrally at the rear of the sole to lower the center of gravity.

When all of this is combined with the all-new Srixon Mainframe face we get a utility designed to maximize performance and forgiveness in a club that offers the looks any player will love.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums. 

Price, specs, and availability

The Srixon ZX Irons launch in North America starting January 15, 2021, with a stock eight-piece set retailing for $1,299.99 (or $162.50 per club) for both the ZX7 and ZX5 irons in steel. The ZX5 in graphite will be $1399.00 (or $175.00 per club)

The ZX Utility will retail for $219.99 with the stock UST Recoil 95.

ZX7 Specs

The stock steel shaft is the Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 120, and the grip is a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.

ZX5 Specs

The stock steel shaft is the Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 105, and the graphite shaft is the UST Recoil 95.

ZX Utility Specs

The stock shaft for the ZX Utility is the (graphite) UST Recoil 95 which also bends well with the ZX5.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.